Oscar contender ‘The Secret Agent’ capitalizes on the rise of Brazilian cinema

Brazil’s “The Secret Agent” Captivates Global Audiences with Powerful Portrait of Dictatorship Era

Brazilian thriller “The Secret Agent” continues to garner international acclaim, earning a spot on the Oscars shortlist and receiving widespread critical praise as one of the year’s standout films. The feature, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, follows an unassuming scientist and widowed father who becomes targeted by Brazil’s 1970s military dictatorship simply for standing up to a business owner connected to the regime.

“He’s in danger simply for being who he is, for holding the values he holds,” star Wagner Moura explained in a recent interview. “That’s how authoritarianism works everywhere.”

The film’s success marks a significant moment for Brazilian cinema on the global stage. Expanding to more U.S. theaters this week, “The Secret Agent” arrives with considerable momentum following major wins at the Cannes Film Festival, where Mendonça Filho claimed best director honors and Moura took home the best actor award.

Earlier this month, the 2.5-hour thriller collected Golden Globe nominations for best drama, best non-English film, and best actor in a drama. Its placement on the Academy Award shortlist for best international feature film further solidifies its status as a critical darling.

The film’s success follows another Brazilian triumph—”I’m Still Here,” which won this year’s Oscar for best international feature and a Golden Globe for lead actress Fernanda Torres. This consecutive recognition signals a renaissance in Brazilian cinema that has generated tremendous domestic enthusiasm.

“No country develops without culture, without identity,” Moura noted. “You’re watching a Brazilian film, seeing a part of Brazil and its history. That matters.”

Set in 1977 at the height of Brazil’s military dictatorship, “The Secret Agent” opens with a black-and-white montage of the era’s cultural touchstones, from movie classics to popular soap operas. Mendonça Filho grounds the story in Recife during Carnival, using his hometown as the backdrop for a narrative that confronts the nation’s unresolved historical trauma.

“I am Brazilian, and my film is Brazilian. If it’s good, it will be universal,” the director said, emphasizing the film’s authentic regional perspective.

The story follows Armando, who lives undercover as “Marcelo,” searching archives for clues about his mother’s past while planning to flee the country with his young son. Against the vibrant backdrop of Carnival celebrations, the film weaves political suspense with urban legends from the dictatorship era, addressing broader themes of corruption, state violence, and institutional complicity.

Brazilian cinema has increasingly revisited the 1964-1985 military dictatorship over the past decade, with films like “Marighella” (also directed by Moura) examining the period of repression. Many of these works emerged during the rise of Brazil’s far-right, most notably under former President Jair Bolsonaro, a retired army captain who openly praised officers accused of torture and minimized state crimes from the dictatorship era.

“The military is a trauma that was never truly examined,” Mendonça Filho explained. “You can’t just say, ‘Move on, forget it.’ A crust forms over it. The same thing happens to an entire nation.”

The film’s November 6 release in Brazilian theaters coincided with significant developments in the country’s contemporary politics. That same month, Bolsonaro began serving a 27-year sentence for attempting to overturn the 2022 election after losing to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. For the first time, high-ranking military officers were also imprisoned for their roles in the attempted coup.

“Today, I’m much more optimistic about Brazil as a democracy,” the director remarked. “For the first time, we’re holding military officers accountable—and sending to prison a president who did nothing but harm the country.”

Among the film’s most compelling elements is the performance of Tânia Maria, a 78-year-old Brazilian artisan who plays Dona Sebastiana. Maria lived an ordinary life until age 72, when she was cast as an extra in Mendonça Filho’s 2019 film “Bacurau.” The director wrote the role of Dona Sebastiana—a woman who shelters political fugitives, including Armando—specifically for her.

“Her authenticity carries something of many women I’ve known,” Mendonça Filho said. “There’s something literary about her.”

Maria, who lives in a rural village of about 22,000 people in northeastern Rio Grande do Norte where there is no movie theater, has become a national sensation since the film’s release. Her only film experiences have been those in which she acted.

“Filming is wonderful, and Kleber Mendonça’s films feel like they’re copying our lives,” she said. “Dona Sebastiana’s life is my life. I’ve always liked taking people in, and I’ve always liked complaining.”

Now hoping for Oscar recognition, the seamstress-turned-actor already has plans for the ceremony: “I want to go to the Oscars. And I want to make my own dress. It will be red, very sparkly.”